Pakistan aim to maintain winning streak against New Zealand

29 April, 2023

LAHORE-Pakistan aim to maintain their winning streak as they take on New Zealand in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Pindi Cricket Stadium today (Saturday). 

In the series opener, the host team dominated over the Black Caps with brilliant innings from Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, and impressive performances from Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. Daryl Mitchell was the highlight of the New Zealand team, scoring a century, while Will Young also gave a good performance but lacked support from his teammates. 

Although the first ODI match saw New Zealand set a target of 289, Pakistan’s opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq secured a win for the team. In the last six ODI matches between Pakistan and New Zealand (excluding the first meeting in this series), the Black Caps have emerged victorious in five games while the Men in Green have only managed to win once. 

In the last six ODIs between Pakistan and New Zealand (except the first ODI of this series), the Black Caps have been on the winning side five times while the hosts have managed to triumph only once. Their last ODI meeting took place in the 33rd match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, where Kiwis gave Pakistan a target of 238, which was easily chased down by the Men in Green. 

Imran warns of protest if SC order of holding elections not complied with

Overall, the teams have played a total of 110 ODIs. The Black Caps have won the battle 50 times while Pakistan have emerged as the winners for a total of 56 times. On three occasions, the match has resulted in no contest while the sides have played a solitary draw. 

Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam has been the backbone of the team for the last few years. Whenever he scores, it almost guarantees a win for his side. In the T20I series, he proved to be a valuable asset, especially in the second match, where he scored a brilliant century. Therefore, Babar’s wicket will be the most prized scalp for the Black Caps bowlers. 

Mark Chapman, the NZ’s middle-order batter, emerged as hero of the T20I series. He has been exceptional in almost all the games for Gary Stead’s team, scoring two half-centuries and a ton, which earned him player of the series award. New Zealand’s batting line-up has been highly unstable, and as such, his wicket will be crucial for Pakistan bowlers in their quest for win. Despite his failure to find his rhythm in the first ODI, he still knows how to frustrate the Pakistan bowlers. 

Sindh Assembly to convene session on May 2

PREDICTED XIS

PAKISTAN: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (Capt), Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Haris Sohail, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi. 

NEW ZEALAND: Chad Bowes, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (Capt, wk), Mark Chapman, Henry Nicholls, Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne.

Match starts at

3 : 30 pm